Awards

Braden Holtby Awards

Vezina Trophy

William M. Jennings Trophy

Season

Team

2016-2017

Washington Capitals

Bio

Braden Holtby Bio

Vezina Trophy winners like Holtby don't just burst onto the scene, they hone their craft on the way to the top.

Since becoming the starter in the 2012-13 season, Holtby has improved his game each year. In 2014-15, he faced the most shots in the League (2,044), made the most saves (1,887), played the most games (73) and finished second in wins (41).

Vezina Trophy winners like Holtby don't just burst onto the scene, they hone their craft on the way to the top.

Since becoming the starter in the 2012-13 season, Holtby has improved his game each year. In 2014-15, he faced the most shots in the League (2,044), made the most saves (1,887), played the most games (73) and finished second in wins (41).

In 2015-16, Holtby tied Martin Brodeur's record with 48 victories when he won the Vezina Trophy as the top goaltender in the League.

Holtby was an unheralded fourth-round draft pick (No. 93) by the Capitals in the 2008 NHL Draft out of Saskatoon of the Western Hockey League who put up a 42-58-11 record his first two seasons as a starter. But in his third year, Holtby nearly equaled his win total from the previous two seasons, posting a 40-16-4 record in 2008-09 as he led Saskatoon to the playoffs.

As a rookie in the Capitals organization in 2009-10, Holtby split time with South Carolina in the East Coast Hockey League and Hershey in the American Hockey League, where he finished 25-8-2 with a 2.32 goal-against average and .917 save percentage.

Holtby made his NHL debut on Nov. 5, 2010, earning the victory after entering the game in the third period against the Boston Bruins. Holtby made his first career start two nights later in a 3-2 overtime victory against the Philadelphia Flyers, but his first shutout didn't come until March 9, 2011, when he stopped 22 shots in a 5-0 win against the Edmonton Oilers.

During the 2011-12 season, Holtby played just seven regular-season games, but he assumed the starting role to open the Stanley Cup Playoffs and led Washington to a seven-game series victory against Boston in the opening round before falling in seven games to the New York Rangers in the second round.

By 2012-13, Holtby was the regular starter and, in the 2014-15 season, became one of the League's top workhorses, playing a League-high 4,247 minutes while posting nine shutouts.

During his Vezina Trophy-winning season, Holtby posted a 48-9-7 record, finished fourth in Hart Trophy voting as league MVP and was named First Team All-Star.